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Deaths in Peru drug clinic blaze

At least 14 people have died after being trapped in a rehabilitation centre during a fire.

05 May 2012 22:28 GMT

It reportedly took two hours for firefighters to bring the blaze under control [Reuters]

A fire has swept through a drug rehabilitation centre for addicts in Chosica, near the Peruvian capital Lima, and officials say at least 14 people are dead.

Officials are not sure what set off Saturday's pre-dawn blaze at the Sacred Heart of Jesus Clinic, a two-storey building in the Chosica district, about 32km east of Lima.

There was only one survivor. The cause of the fire has not yet been confirmed.

According to Peruvian media reports, the blaze began at around 04:00 local time (09:00 GMT) after a patient set fire to a mattress on the second floor. It reportedly took two hours for firefighters to bring the blaze under control.

Fire chief Fernando Campos said 14 bodies had been counted - 13 on the second floor of the building and one on the first floor.

They were unable to escape the inferno because windows were barred and doors were locked, firefighters said.

'Calling for help'

Campos said firefighters had to use tools to break into the building, as the the main door was padlocked.

"The doors were locked and the windows on the second floor had bars on them. It wasn't possible for people to get out," he told the AFP news agency.

The accident prompted calls for better regulation of such rehabilitation clinics in Peru [Reuters]